The chapter opens with Evie collapsing in pain as Otto Warsen lunges at The Villain with the enchanted dagger. However, The Villain reacts before Evie can even finish her warning, seizing Warsen's wrist and disarming him by kicking the dagger across the room. As Warsen begs for mercy and blames his temper, The Villain delivers a philosophical rebuke about accountability versus cowardice, then crushes the blacksmith's wrist. Evie watches without horror, feeling only satisfaction and relief at seeing the man who once hurt her brought low.

After releasing Warsen, The Villain picks up the enchanted dagger, and its proximity causes Evie's old shoulder wound to flare with agonizing pain. He throws the blade into the far wall to spare her, then demands to know why she truly left this position and what happened to her. Evie deflects with humor, refusing to share her shame. The Villain reveals the gravity of her injury: the embedded magic constitutes a "death blow," meaning that if someone struck her scar at the right angle with magic, it would kill her.

Evie redirects the conversation to their investigation, arguing that the person who placed the dragon collar order with Warsen is almost certainly the traitor inside Massacre Manor. She reasons they are likely looking for a man, based on evidence from Malcolm and Warsen, though she refuses to rule out Rebecka Erring. The Villain initially suggests killing Warsen to tie up loose ends, but Evie convinces him that a murder in the village could draw suspicion back to her. Instead, The Villain binds and gags Warsen, then uses a rare caller's crystal to summon his guards, who will discreetly force Warsen to leave town permanently.

Before they depart through a hidden panel in the wall, Evie asks if the link between the dagger and her wound can be severed, and The Villain says he will consult Tatianna. He takes the dagger with him, stepping back when he sees Evie wince at its closeness. Outside, he tells Evie she owes him no explanation about what happened with Warsen, but offers a quiet, sincere promise: if she ever decides she doesn't want Warsen existing in the same world as her, he would enjoy destroying him. Evie, moved by his care, jokes that she might tell him the full story someday over a sweet cup of cauldron brew. His laughter follows her home, making her feel safe—until the sting in her shoulder returns, pulling her back to harsh reality.